Al Jefferson has done a lot of growing up since his days with Celtics

Friday

Apr 11, 2014 at 7:10 PMApr 11, 2014 at 7:16 PM

BOSTON – There are NBA players who get passed over in the draft, or traded away from an organization, and carry the perceived snub as a chip on the shoulder an entire career. Al Jefferson is a lot more honest with himself about his July 31, 2007 trade from the Boston Celtics to the Minnesota Timberwolves for one of the greatest players in NBA history in future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett.

Scott Souzassouza@wickedlocal.com

BOSTON – There are NBA players who get passed over in the draft, or traded away from an organization, and carry the perceived snub as a chip on the shoulder an entire career.

Al Jefferson is a lot more honest with himself about his July 31, 2007 trade from the Boston Celtics to the Minnesota Timberwolves for one of the greatest players in NBA history in future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett.

“When I got traded from here, if I were Danny Ainge, I would have done the same thing,” Jefferson, who was back in town with the Charlotte Bobcats for Friday night’s game at TD Garden. “It was a no-brainer to be honest with you.

“But through everything I learned a lot – during my three years here, my three years in Minnesota, my three years in Utah, those were the best for me. They changed me as a player and as a person. Everything I’ve been through in my last three cities with my last three teams over nine years has prepared me for being right here with the Bobcats.”

That place would be playing for a Bobcats team headed to the playoffs as the likely No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte targeted Jefferson as the biggest free agent signing in franchise history this past summer and he has delivered this season to the tune of 21.7 and 10.7 rebounds per game.

Most important, according to Bobcats coach Steve Clifford, is what Jefferson has contributed to the Bobcats through his once-maligned defense and his leadership in the locker room.

“He’s professional, prideful, and is a very competitive,” he said. “He’s really taken the responsibility of trying to turn our franchise around very seriously.”

“I knew when they brought me here it was to put up points, rebound and play defense,” Jefferson said. “But they also brought me here to be a leader – a vocal leader. That’s something I’d never done. I had always been a leader by setting an example.”

Jefferson said he learned a lot about being a leader from Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz while here in Boston. Defensively is where he often drew the wrath of former Celtics coach Doc Rivers as he helplessly chased pick-and-rolls, but it has been where he has finally learned to excel within Clifford’s system that relies more on his instincts defensively than punishes his lack of athleticism.

“If you have a feel for the game and you work at it, you have a chance to be good defensively,” Clifford said. “Just like he knows when to pass, when to shoot, if you watch him he has that feel defensively of how much to help. Those are things you don’t teach as a coach.”

“I always felt defense was mind over matter,” he said. “Ten years in, with experience, now I understand what it takes to be on a good team that has a chance to get to the playoffs and have success in the playoffs. When I signed here in Charlotte, that’s one of the things coach told me I was going to have to do to commit myself to being a better defensive player.”

Jefferson said he used to let criticisms about his defense get in his head and convinced himself he couldn’t play it well. Now he concedes that at times he was just being lazy and conserving energy for his offense.

“There is a lot of good about him,” Clifford said, “but his level of accountability to himself and his teammates is (one of his best traits).”

It’s a trait that has developed with the rest of his game over the course of what has become a tremendous 10-year NBA career. The Man who was once traded for The Man in Boston, now gets to be The Man in Charlotte.

And he’s grown up into the role as well as any fan of his from his early days with the Celtics could have envisioned.

Scott Souza covers the Boston Celtics for the MetroWest Daily News and GateHouse Media. He can be reached at 781-398-8006 or ssouza@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @scott_souza.